Golf club mitten and method of making the same



Feb. M, 1967 E. R. OUIMET 3,303,865

GOLF CLUB MITTEN AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Feb. 4, 1966 BY @wwe M United States Patent O 3,363,865 GOLF CLUB MITTEN AND METHOD F MAKING THE SAME Emil R. Ouimet, 3l Country Club Drive, Brockton, Mass. 02401 Fiied Feb. 4, i966, Ser. No. 525,041 5 Ciainis. (Cl. ISO-52) This invention pertains to a protective mitten designed to receive the head of a single golf club and protect it from contact with other heads when several clubs, for example, are assembled in the same bag, and relates more especially to an improved mitten such as to avoid certain undesirable characteristics of prior mittens.

Golf club mittens of the best grade are customarily made of soft, pliable, nicely finished leather and are usually lined, for example, with a napped, textile fabric with the napped face of the material exposed at the inside of the mitten to provide a soft surface for contact with the head of the club, the lining being intended to save the head of the club from abrasion as it is introduced into and withdrawn from the mitten. Commonly, the mitten is substantially tubular at its open end but is provided at its closed end with an inserted gore so that at this part the mitten is widened to accommodate the laterally projecting portion of the head of the club. In the better types of mitten, provision is made for elastically constricting the mitten just above the widened portion to keep the mitten in place.

The mitten, as usually constructed, comprises several pieces of material, which are united by sewed seams and, for ornamental appearance, it has become customary, in mittens of the more expensive type, to interpose, between the parts which are united by a seam, a thin narrow ribbon of a hard-wear-resistant plastic material shaped to have a bead at that edge which is exposed at the outer surface of the mitten and which, by reason of a contrasting color, lends a finely finished appearance to the mitten at the location of the seam. In order to avoid stifiening the mitten yby the introduction of this ribbon, its inner edge portion of the ribbon has closely spaced slits. In the formation of the seam, the margins of the pieces which are to be united are placed in face-to-face relation with the finished surfaces of the leather opposed, and thus the mitten is sewed with the parts inside out. If a lining is to be provided the pieces of lining material which correspond to the leather pieces are also arranged with their margins in parallel planes and with their unnapped surfaces in contact with the unfinished surfaces of the leather members and with the plastic strip between the finished surfaces of the leather members. The seam is then so formed that the stitches pass through the lining members, the plastic ribbon and the leather parts and after the com pletion of the seams the resultant mitten, now being inside out, is turned right side out with the result that the seamed-together plies of material project into the interior of the mitten in the form of very pronounced and stiff ribs and with the inner, slitted edge of the narrow ribbon of plastic located at the interior of the mitten. As above noted, the plastic employed is designed to impart an ornamental appearance to the exterior of the mitten, but these internal ribs, with their unfinished edges, are unsightly and detract from the saleability of an article designed for the luxury trade. However, the introduction of the ornamental material has a more serious disadvantage in that the exposed, slitted inner edges of the plastic ribbons are hard and act almost like saws and scratch the heads of the clubs as the latter are introduced and withdrawn from the mitten. Thus, the fundamental purpose of the mitten, that is to say the provision of protection for the club head, is to a considerable degree nullified by the presence of these abrasive edges.

3,303,865 Patented Feb. 14, 1967 ICC The present invention has for its object the provision of an ornamental mitten of the above type but wherein provision is made for protecting the club head from contact with the inner edges of the plastic strips, and for concealing the interior ribs, and at the same time providing the mitten with a lining which is not only soft and non-injurious to the club head, but which has so low a coefficient of friction as greatly to facilitate the introduction and withdrawal of the club head from the mitten.

In the attainment of these objects, the usual lining, con` sisting of pieces of textile material secured to each of the respective leather parts, is replaced by a lining which is not incorporated in the seams which unite the leather parts, but which is so arranged as to overlie the ribs formed in seaming the leather parts and plastic ribbon together and so as to conceal the ribs from View at the interior of the mitten, so that, in moving the club head into and out of the mitten, the club head does not come into contact at all with the inner edges of the plastic strips. This novel lining not only provides a very soft protective layer between the unfinished face of the leather and the club head but has an inner surface of a substance having a very low coefficient of friction, that is to say it is slippery, so that the movement of the club head into and out of the mitten is facilitated. More specifically, the mitten has a bag-like lining whose upper end is connected to the leather at the entrance, only, to the mitten. This lining is preferably of a lamellar material comprising a tricot knitted woven textile fabric, desirably of filament rayon or some similar slippery synthetic plastic fiber, and a ply of sponge material, for example foamed plastic, which is interposed between the textile ply and the inner surface of the leather. With this arrangement the desired ornamentation may be provided without incurring danger of damage to the club head While, at the same time, the manufacture of the mitten becomes simpler and less eX- pensive than by the old procedure.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. l is a side elevation of a golf club mitten according to the present invention, having the seams which unite the several parts ornamented by the presence of a bead, for example, of plastic and usually of a color contrasting with the other parts;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section, to larger scale, on the line 2-2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of a partially completed lining in readiness to be assembled with a liningless mitten comprising parts which have been assembled and united in customary fashion;

FTG. 4 is a fragmentary section, to larger scale, on the line 4 4 ofthe lining of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an elevation, with parts broken away and With parts shown in section, showing a first step in the assembly and union of the lining of FIG. 3 with a conventional liningless mitten;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but with the lower part of the mitten broken away, showing a further step in the manufacture of the mitten of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary section, to larger scale, on the line 7-7 of the completed mitten shown in FIG. l; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary elevation showing ornamental plastic ribbon of the kind heretofore used in golf club mittens.

Reference to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. l and 2, the character M designates the competed mitten, as made in accordance with the present invention, the mitten being shown as comprising parts 10, 11 and I2 which would usually be of soft, finely finished leather, the parts 10 and 11 being united directly to each other in the upper portion of the mitten but having the gore piece 12 interposed between them at the lower part of the mitten, so as to provide ample room for the head of the golf club. As illustrated, the parts 10, 11 and 12 have been united in customary manner by arranging their marginal portions 10a and 11a (FIG. 2) in parallel spaced relation with a ribbon 15 of a selected plastic (FIG. 8) interposed between the finished surfaces of the leather pieces, the parts then being united by a sewed seam 16. This ribbon 15 is of substantially uniform thickness except at one edge where it is thickened to form a bead B (usually substantially circular in transverse section) which is exposed at the exterior of the mitten. The selected plastic is desirably hard and shape-retaining, s that it will not be defaced readily by blows or abrasion during the use of the bag; for example it may be a styrene which is stiff as well as hard. To avoid imparting undue stiffness to the mitten by the inclusion of this ribbon at the seams, the ribbon 15 is customarily incised or slitted inwardly, as shown at 15x, at frequent intervals. However, the incising of the ribbon in this manner results in the formation of a serrated edge which, by reason of the hardness of the material, is somewhat saw-like in its action when contacted by the head of the club, with the result that the head is scratched as often as the club is introduced into or withdrawn from the mitten.

After the several seams have been formed, the assembly is turned inside out so that the seams occupy the position such as shown in FIG. 2, wherein they collectively form a rib of substantial dimensions projecting into the interior of the embryo mitten or liningless shell as thus far prepared. Since the slitted edge 15x of the plastic ribbon is located at the inner edge of the rib and since the plastic employed for the ribbon is selected for wear-resistance and is harder than the soft leather of the parts 10, 11 and 12, the slitted edge of the ribbon tends to project beyond the edges of the leather and its corners, resultant from the slitting, have an abrasive action if contacted by the head of the golf club, resulting in scratching the head.

In accordance with the present invention, the mitten comprises a lining 17 which, as here illustrated (FIG. 4), comprises two like pieces of lamellar material, each including a ply 19 of a soft cushioning substance such, for example, as a plastic foam, and a second ply 20 of a material having a low coeflcient of friction, for example nylon, preferably in the form of a finely ribbed and elastic tricot of knitted filament nylon. The pieces are assembled (FIG. 4) with the plies 2t) in face-to-face contact and their marginal portions are united by sewed seams 21 and 21a (FIG. 3), thus forming a substantially tubular sleeve open at its opposite ends and with projecting external ribs R (FIG. 4) at opposite sides, the upper edges of the sleeve, as indicated at 23, being substantially rectilinear while the lower edge 24 is shown as arcuate. Having prepared this lining sleeve it is now drawn downwardly (FIG. over the liningless embryo mitten (now right side out), comprising the united leather parts 10, 11 and 12 with its ornamental seams, until the upper edge 23 of the lining member coincides with the upper edge 26 of the embryo mitten E, the cushioning ply 19 of the lining still being exposed at its outer side. Preferably the ribs R 0f the lining are arranged so as to register with the ribs at the interior of the embryo mitten or shell. Having assembled the parts in this fashion, the upper margins of the lining and liningless embryo mitten or shell are united by a sewed seam 27 (FIG. 5).

The lower end of the lining 17 is now drawn upwardly as shown in FIG. 6 until it extends up bove the upper edge of the embryo mitten or shell E and the lining is then closed at its upper end by a sewed seam 28. The lining is pulled up to its full extent and then its upper end, closed by the seam 28, is pushed downwardly so as to turn the lining inside out and down inside the ernbryo mitten E until the seam 28, which unites the lining to the embryo mitten Or shell, takes the position shown in FIG. 7, the ply 20 of the lining now being exposed at the interior of the mitten with the ply 19 of the lining interposed between the ply 20 and the inner surface of the embryo mitten or shell E, the upper margin of the latter being thus turned down as indicated at 30 (FIG. 7) to provide a nicely finished top edge for the mitten. The ports now occupy the relative positions indicated in FIG. 2 with the lining comprising the plies 19 and 20 disposed within the embryo mitten and wholly concealing the ribs formed by the united margins 10a and 11a and the interposed plastic ribbon 16, so that the ribs are concealed from view and do not contact the head of a golf club disposed within the mitten. The lining is of such length that its lower end is disposed below the Constriction C (FIG. l) of the mitten, with the cushion layer 19 of the lining opposed to the inner surface of the leather, and since the inner surface 20 of the mitten is of the material such as above described, having a very low coefiicient of friction, the movement of the head of the club into and out of the mitten is facilitated, while accidental withdrawal of the lining is prevented by the customary elastic constriction at C and the frictional engagement of the cushioning ply 19 with the unfinished inner surface of the leather. With this arrangement, even though the ornamental bead material is included in the seams which unite the leather parts, the club head is protected from contact with this stiff and sharp material so that scratching of the club head is Wholly prevented.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has herein been disclosed by way of example, together with a desirable procedure for making the improved mitten, it is to be understood that the invention is broadly inclusive of any and all modifications either of materials or the method of assembling and uniting them such as fall within the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A golf club mitten of the kind wherein pieces of leather, united by sewed seams, constitute the outside of the mitten and wherein at each seam the finished surfaces of the margins of the united parts are opposed to each other, with a narrow ribbon of a relatively stiff and hard material so interposed between said margins that one of its edges is substantially flush -with the edges of said margins, said united margins and the ribbons of stiff material collectively constituting ribs which project into the interior of the mitten; characterized in that the mitten has a lining, attached to the outer elements of the mitten near the upper edge, only, of the latter, which bridges and conceals the ribs, said lining comprising a ply, exposed at the interior of the mitten, which has a low coefficient of friction thereby faciltating the introduction and withdrawal of the club head from the mitten and which is nonabrasive so that it does not scratch the club head, further characterized in that the lining comprises a ply of a foam material and a ply of textile fabric, the foam material ocntacting the unnished inner surfaces of the leather pieces and the textile ply being exposed at the interior of the mitten, the textile ply consisting, in major part at least, of filament rayon and being smooth and slippery.

2. A golf club mitten of the kind wherein pieces of leather, united by sewed seams, constitute the outside of the mitten and wherein at each seam the finished surfaces of the margins of the united parts are opposed to each other, with a narrow ribbon of a relatively stiff and hard material so interposed between said margins that one of its edges is substantially flush -with the edges of said margins, said united margins and the ribbons of stiff material collectively constitute ribs which project into the interior of the mitten, and a lining which is bag-like, and comprises two, like pieces of lamellar material so united by seams as to form a tube having diametrically opposite, outstanding multi-ply ribs, the lining being so arranged within the outside of the mitten that the outstanding ribs of the lining are opposed to the inwardly directed ribs of the outside of the mitten, thereby providing a thick and durable barrier between the abrasive material comprised in the inwardly directed ribs of lthe outside of the mitten and the head of a golf club disposed Within the mitten, and means securing the open upper end of the bag-like lining to the mitten near the upper end of the latter, the lining being otherwise free to move relatively to the leather parts.

3. A golf club mitten having an youter shell comprising parts which are so united as to form projecting lribs at the inside of the shell and wherein each rib comprises a ply of abrasive material which is exposed at the inner edge ofthe rib, and a tubular liner attached to the shell near the upper end, only, of the latter and which bridges the ribs, those portions of the liner which bridge the inwardly directed ribs being of greater thickness than the remaining portions of the liner thereby to provide a protective barrier between the inwardly directed ribs and the head of a golf club disposed within the mitten.

4. A golf club mitten according to claim 3, wherein the ribs which unite parts yof the shell comprise ribbons of abrasive material whose edges are exposed at the interior of the shell, and the lining comprising parts, each consisting of two-ply material so united by seams as to form outstanding four-ply ribs, characterized in that the seams which unite the constituent parts of the lining are independent yof those which unite the parts of the outer shell, the lining bridging the inwardly directed ribs of the outer shell, and the edges of the ribs of the lining registering with the edges of the ribs of the outer shell thereby concealing the latter ribs from view and providing a thick protective barrier between said ribs and the head of a golf club disposed within the mitten.

5. That method of makin-g a golf club mitten wherein leather parts and plastic rib-bon are so united by sewed seams as to provide an embryo, liningless mitten or shell having inwardly directed ribs comprised of plies of leather and plastic ribbon, said method comprising as steps: providing an open-ended sleeve of soft, exible, non-abrasive material, drawing said sleeve down over the embryo mitten or shell until the upper end of the sleeve substantially coincides with the upper edge of the embryo mitten or shell, uniting said edges by a sewed seam, pulling the lower end of the lining sleeve upwardly until said lower edge is above the upper edge of the embryo mitten or shell, then closing the last-named end of the sleeve by a sewed seam, .and pushing said closed end down so as thereby to turn the sleeve inside out while disposing its closed end in the lower portion of the embryo mitten or shell whereby the sleeve is made to constitute a lining which overlies the aforesaid inwardly directed ribs so as to prevent the head of a golf club, disposed within the mitten, from contact with said ribs.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,014,589 9/1935 Saad ISO-1.5 2,035,529 3/1936 Bucklin 150-52 2,779,374 1/1957 Clark 150-52 2,908,307 10/ 1959 Rosenow et al. 150-52 FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

1. A GOLF CLUB MITTEN OF THE KIND WHEREIN PIECES OF LEATHER, UNITED BY SEWED SEAMS, CONSTITUTE THE OUTSIDE OF THE MITTEN AND WHEREIN AT EACH SEAM THE FINISHED SURFACES OF THE MARGINS OF THE UNITED PARTS ARE OPPOSED TO EACH OTHER, WITH A NARROW RIBBON OF A RELATIVELY STIFF AND HARD MATERIAL SO INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID MARGINS THAT ONE OF ITS EDGES IS SUBSTANTIALLY FLUSH WITH THE EDGES OF SAID MARGINS, SAID UNITED MARGINS AND THE RIBBONS OF STIFF MATERIAL COLLECTIVELY CONSTITUTING RIBS WHICH PROJECT INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE MITTEN; CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THE MITTEN HAS A LINING, ATTACHED TO THE OUTER ELEMENTS OF THE MITTEN NEAR THE UPPER EDGE, ONLY, OF THE LATTER, WHICH BRIDGES AND CONCEALS THE RIBS, SAID LINING COMPRISING A PLY, EXPOSED AT THE INTERIOR OF THE MITTEN, WHICH HAS A LOW COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION THEREBY FACILTATING THE INTRODUCTION AND WITHDRAWAL OF THE CLUB HEAD FROM THE MITTEN AND WHICH IS NONABRASIVE SO THAT IT DOES NOT SCRATCH THE CLUB HEAD, FURTHER CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THE LINING COMPRISES A PLY OF A FOAM MATERIAL AND A PLY OF TEXTILE FABRIC, THE FOAM MATERIAL CONTACTING THE UNFINISHED INNER SURFACES OF THE LEATHER PIECES AND THE TEXTILE PLY BEING EXPOSED AT THE INTERIOR OF THE MITTEN, THE TEXTILE PLY CONSISTING, IN MAJOR PART AT LEAST, OF FILAMENT RAYON AND BEING SMOOTH AND SLIPPERY. 